'Avatar' brings in $59 million overseas...

Cameron's sci-fi winner stays on top!

It will take a while before "Avatar" will disappear from the international circuit, because James Cameron's sci-fi epic bagged another superb $59 million this weekend. Overseas, the film has now reached an amazing total gross of $1.690 billion. Worldwide, it has grossed $2.350 billion.

Also performing very well this weekend was Garry Marshall's new romantic comedy "Valentine's Day," which took home $30.4 million. Domestically, the film generated more than $50 million. The story boasts an all-star cast and follows a bunch of Los Angeles people on Valentine's Day.

Meanwhile, Chris Columbus' new family adventure "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" picked up a decent $28 million. The film follows Percy, son of Poseidon, as he tries to prevent a war between the gods by retrieving Zeus' powerful lightning bolt.

Also opening overseas was Joe Johnston's "The Wolfman," which bagged $21 million. Following in fifth place this weekend was "My Name Is Khan," which collected $14.2 million.

What else happened at the box office overseas? "The Princes and the Frog" swallowed another $11.3 million ($109 million total gross), while "Sherlock Homes" took another $9.6 million. Clint Eastwood's "Invictus" earned $6.5 million. "Up in the Air" finished with $6 million.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Box Office: 'Avatar' shines with another $75M!

Weekend of December 25 – 27: ‘Avatar’ outruns ‘Sherlock Holmes’ & ‘Chipmunks’

James Cameron’s “Avatar” prevailed at the North American box office this weekend as the sci-fi action spectacle regained the No. 1 spot with another stunning $75 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Even though “Avatar” was dethroned Friday by new entry “Sherlock Holmes,” the film regained momentum Saturday and Sunday to emerge as the weekend’s winner. “Avatar” brought its domestic total to a solid $212.2 million.

Guy Ritchie’s “Holmes” also delivered a strong performance at the box office, bagging a superb $65.3 million from ticket sales at 3,626 locations. The film starring Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role scored an average of $18,031 per theater.

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2009 Screening Log Movie Awards Nominations!

The nominations for the 1st annual Screening Log Movie Awards are in! I've selected the best of 2009 and narrowed them down to less than a dozen per category. Winners are announced Dec. 28, 2009.

A few notes on the process: These nominations reflect my selection of the best films I've seen this year. I've enjoyed many excellent movies this year, and I engaged in this process to honor my favorite ones of '09.

Over the course of this week, I will be looking more closely at each category and pick the ones I personally believe deserve to win. Please know these are solely my own, personal favorites of the year!

Let's get to it then! Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" took home four nominations, and "Up in the Air" received seven nominations. Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" earned six, and "The Road" took five.

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Box Office: 'Avatar' wins race with $73M!

Updated on Monday, December 21, 2009 at 11:01AM by Franck Tabouring

Weekend of December 18 – 20, 2009: 'Avatar' scores big while the 'Morgans' crash & burn

James Cameron’s new sci-fi epic “Avatar” landed at the No. 1 spot at the North American box office this weekend with a solid $73 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Early estimates predicted the film could bag up to $80 million, but it fell a little short.

Fox’s action spectacle, which is currently playing in 2D, 3D and IMAX at 3,452 locations, scored a superb average of $21,147 per theater. The film is budgeted at around $230 million, the most expensive project the studio has ever developed.

In “Avatar,” Sam Worthington plays a former marine who is sent into the wild to win over the trust of a native population on a distant planet that boasts minerals invaluable to the human race.

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'Avatar' scores solid $27 million Friday

James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar" stormed the North American box office Friday with a daily gross of $27 million in ticket sales at 3,452 locations. This includes $3.5 million from midnight screenings.

"Avatar," which is now playing in 2D, 3D and Imax, is currently bound for a solid opening weekend gross of around $80 million. The anticipated Fox adventure cost around $230 million to make.

At No. 2, Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" scored $3.4 million Friday, lifting its cume to $35.9 million. Following in third place with $3.1 million was "The Blind Side," which reached a total of $157.8 million.

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Box Office: 'Princess and the Frog' reigns

Weekend of December 11 – 13, 2009: 'The Blind Side' finally defeated by 'Princess'

Walt Disney’s 2D-animated adventure “The Princess and the Frog” took the North American box office by storm this weekend with a solid $25 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Disney’s anticipated return to hand-drawn animation expanded to 3,434 locations Friday, earning a weekend average of $7,280 per theater. The film’s total gross currently stands at $27.8 million.

Sandra Bullock’s surprise hit “The Blind Side” slipped to No. 2, taking home another $15.4 million. The story about a family helping out a poor football hopeful reached a domestic total of $150.2 million.

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Movie Review: “Invictus”

Seen on: December 1, 2009

The players: Director: Clint Eastwood, Writer: Anthony Peckham, Cast: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Patrick Mofokeng, Matt Stern

Facts of interest: Based on John Carlin's book.

The plot: The film tells the true story of how Nelson Mandela tried to unite his country with the help of South Africa's rugby team.

Our quick thoughts: Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus” keeps things simple in telling the true story of how Nelson Mandela tried to reunite his country through rugby, but the film is nonetheless a fascinating big-screen experience and without doubt one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. Intriguing, emotional and beautifully shot and acted, this is an instant winner.

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Matt Damon teams with Eastwood for 'Hereafter'

Matt Damon, who can be seen in Steven Soderbergh's new film "The Informant!" this week, will be reteaming with the great Clint Eastwood for the master's next direction project "Hereafter."

"Hereafter" is a supernatural thriller set up at Warner Bros. (it was previously housed at DreamWoks). Plot details are strictly kept under wraps, but the film is described as a thriller in the vein of "The Sixth Sense."

Peter Morgan, whose credits include "The Queen" and "Frost/Nixon," wrote the script, and as Variety reports, Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Morgan and Tim Moore are exec producing. Sweet!

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